Games to Film: Silent Hill

Share.

Avary scripting game adaptation for Gans.

By Brian Linder

Filmmaker Roger Avary (The Rules of Attraction) has revealed on his official site that he is collaborating with director Christophe Gans (Brotherhood of the Wolf) on the script for the forthcoming movie version of Silent Hill.

Avary writes, "Silent Hill... my life is consumed by it. The soundtrack to Silent Hill 2, the graphic novel, fan art, and of course, the games. I'm mostly spending the evenings re-playing Silent Hill 2 (my favorite of the series) on my French PS2, and then watching various DVDs that Christophe suggests are similar to the Silent Hill feel. Then, every morning at 10AM, a car picks me up from my apartment in St.-Germain-des-Pres to deliver me to the palatial offices of Samuel Hadida (which we call KGB Central) where Christophe and I feverishly work alongside each other. We have the entire 4th Floor production suite to ourselves. Christophe is obsessed with all sorts of obscure Italian soundtracks, which we listen to (along with the Silent Hill 2 soundtrack and heavy doses of Serge Gainsbourg) while we write. We've had a game system brought into the office so that we can take breaks to play."

Fans of the game should be pleased to hear that Avary is playing it enough to have a firm grasp on the source material, but he warns that he isn't nearly as obsessed with the subject matter as Gans is. He writes, "Okay, one thing: WOULD YOU FREAKING SILENT HILL FANS PLEASE STOP SENDING ME YOUR SCRIPTS! I delete them without reading them, and it's getting a little absurd. I mean, does everyone who plays this game write a script immediately after finishing?! And please, stop asking me if I'm as obsessed with this game as you are. The answer is, NO, I'm not. But Christophe Gans IS. I'm just writing down his interpretations and visions. I appreciate the concerns, and I'm happy to know what your favorite moments of the game are &#Array; but please, relax a little. It's going to be a fantastic filmic experience &#Array; Christophe is too obsessed with it for it not to be. Have faith."

Silent Hill 2, which seems to be serving as the primary inspiration for the film, centers around James Sunderland, a man who's life is shattered when his young wife Mary suffers a tragic death. Three years later, a mysterious letter arrives from Mary, beckoning him to return to their sanctuary of memories, the dark realm of Silent Hill.